Taking a Look at "The Democracy of Suffering"

Recently "Ideas" on CBC radio offered a thoughtful interview with Canadian, Todd Dufresne, author of The Democracy of Suffering (2019).

The core thought of this book is that as suffering from the climate emergency affects many more of us...that in the midst of this communal suffering (the democracy of this as it affects many of us up close), we will seriously begin to pay attention and to work for change. I think this book resonates well for people of faith as we live into the words of St. Paul; “As one suffers, so do all.”

We are deeply wounding God’s gift of creation, God's body, the earth, which we’ve been freely given to steward. And as more and more of us face this reality and it’s devastating repercussions on daily life, so too will we be able to work together to begin to care for God’s creation and to honour it.

The author is clear that we have gone so far away from respect for the earth that our hopes lie in that we will work together because we are suffering together. This reminds me of the passage from the letter to the Ephesians; “With the eyes of our hearts enlightened, we may come to know the hope to which we are called.”

This would be a great book for a book study in parishes.

Here is a link to the CBC article from April but updated on October 9.

The Reverend Margaret Marquardt is Chair of the Diocesan Eco-Justice Unit.